Seasonal Changes in the Garden - February 2021

  Continuing our look at the back garden as it changes though the seasons, we leave January behind and move into February.

February 2nd: A fairly typical February day with overcast skies but moderately warm (9℃). Trees are bare and the Christmas Rose (Hellebore) in bloom.

February 9th: A light sprinkling of snow overnight rapidly melting in morning sunshine.

February 28th: A warm (for February) sunny day. Daffodils are out on the patio and my delivery of organic coir and perlite has arrived in readiness for the growing season. The cold frame that no-one ever shut has now moved to near the greenhouse where it is being used as it should be!

Weather data are from my Davis Vantage Pro 2 Plus weather station. Sunshine hours are estimated using monthly total solar radiation values.

Here is the February 2021 weather summary for a Hereford (UK) town garden. Equivalent weather values for February 2020 (last year) are in red for comparison.

February 2021 (2020)
Weather Parameter	Value	Dates
Average Monthly Temperature	6 oC (7 oC)
Maximum Monthly Temperature	14 oC (14 oC)	2nd, 22nd, 24th, 25th
Minimum Monthly Temperature	- 5 oC (-2 oC)	6th, 7th
Number of Air Frost Days	9 (2)	8th to 13th,  26th to 28th
Number of Hot Days (> 25 oC)	0 (0)
Monthly Precipitation	48.8 mm (195.4 mm)
Greatest 24 h Precipitation	14.8 mm (95.0 mm)	19th - 20th
Number of Dry Days	12 (6)
Monthly Sunshine Hours (estimated)	66 (68)
Average Wind Speed	5 km/h (7 km/h)
Highest Wind Speed	47 km/h (61 km/h)	23rd
Maximum Barometric Pressure (Sea Level)	1043.5 hPa (1038.8 hPa)	27th
Minimum Barometric Pressure (Sea Level)	989.3 hPa (980.2 hPa)	2nd
Average Barometric Pressure (Sea Level)	1013.5 hPa (1008.6 hPa)

This month (February 2021) was cold, dry and frosty compared with February 2021. A month for planning, rather than doing,  in the garden.